They made short work of placing the dishes in the dishwasher as they bantered playfully then drew her into the family room and turned on the television. She decided to stay down there for a while even though she would’ve loved to go upstairs and collapse.
Chance sat at one end of the couch at an angle, and Clayton directed her to lie down so that she reclined against Chance. He immediately started rubbing her tense shoulders. Wherever he rubbed, her flesh grew warm.
“Oh, that feels good.”
“You’re tied up in knots, baby. Just relax for me,” Chance said against her temple as he soothed her sore, tight muscles.
Clayton untied her sneakers and slipped her socks from her feet and gently rubbed them. It tickled at first, but she gradually grew accustomed to his touch on her sensitive feet.
“Your feet are ticklish, aren’t they?” Clayton asked as he rubbed against the arch of her right foot.
“Yes. Extremely.” He used his whole hand to massage her feet and never stroked in a way that would tickle, and she gradually relaxed until she turned to putty in their hands.
Chance muted the television and said, “We set you up with a bank account for house expenses. I’ve got all the necessary forms for you to sign.”
“You do?”
Chance continued kneading her shoulders and arms. “Yes. Two thousand dollars will transfer on the first and fifteenth of each month into that account. You can use it to buy food, supplies, and pay your house help. If you need anything beyond that or feel like you need the amount increased just let us know and we’ll take care of it. We’ll handle payment for home repairs and any big expenditures. We don’t expect your account to cover those costs.”
Wow. “Okay.”
“I have paperwork that you need to sign in order to open your own personal account, too. I hope you don’t mind that I took the liberty of setting it up, baby. We wanted you to have a separate account for your personal shopping and savings, or whatever. I’m sure there are things that you need after living on such a strict budget while in Fort Stockton.”
Lydia replied, “Well, yes, actually I do need to go shopping. Thank you.” A lot of her clothing was showing age and wear because she’d had to be so careful with her money, and it would be nice to have some new things.
“On the first and fifteenth, one thousand dollars will transfer into your personal account as well.”
Her eyes opened so wide her eyeballs could’ve rolled from their sockets as she sat up. “Huh?”
Chance and Clayton both grinned and chuckled. Chance continued, “What you’re doing around here is of great value to us, baby. No matter how things progress for us personally, we plan to compensate you fairly for your hard work. Plus, I want you to have anything you need.”
“But that’s a lot of money!”
Chance drew her back to him and said, “Someday we’ll show you the oil wells on the back side of the ranch. It’s a drop in the bucket, trust me.”
Clayton said, “You also need a laptop for your own use and for the kitchen. We’ll make sure you have what you need.”
Wow. Just Wow. “All right. Thank you, guys. Thank you very much. That’s very generous.”
Clayton said, “About the house help. We never intended for you to run yourself ragged keeping up with everything. We want you to have decent help, so you can relax and not have to work so hard. If Presley Ann is not the person or persons you need, all you have to do is give her the word and she’s gone. We will back you up completely. I trusted Mrs. Perkins to send the right person and instead it looks like she sent the House Bunny.”
Lydia chuckled, reminded that she’d thought the same thing when she’d opened the door Wednesday morning. “She has until Wednesday. Five months ago, I remember needing someone to give me a chance, and I’m going to extend the same courtesy to her.”
Chance pressed his lips to her throat and said, “I think your situations were vastly different, baby, but I respect your position. Don’t let her take advantage of your generous nature.”
He pressed kisses in a line from her shoulder to her ear, and she shivered when the tip of his tongue flicked against her earlobe. Her eyelids slid closed, and she reveled in the sensation of being held in Chance’s arms as Clayton continued to rub her feet. It made her feel precious when Chance groaned and squeezed her to him. “Mmm. You feel good in my arms, baby.”
Her head rested limply against Chance’s shoulder, and she smiled and sighed blissfully.
“It sounds like Lydi likes it, too, Chance,” Clayton murmured. The deep tone of Clayton’s voice drew her attention, and Lydia gazed at him through half-open eyes as he stared intensely at her. The look sent a tremor of excitement through her body and a rush of heat between her legs.